Note4 vs iPhone 6plus vs WAIT?

I use an iPhone5s, and wish to move up to a larger screen. To experience a different OS, I want to pick up an Android.

But, I recently tried Galaxy Note4 hands-on in more than 1 store, and found the responsiveness/smoothness inferior than my current iPhone5s (on which I find the interface very responsive & smooth... as in scrolling though long web pages).

So, question 1: Is responsiveness/smoothness inferior to iPhones (5s/6/6+), or is it any other factor that effected by Note4 experiences?

Or, question 2: Since, it's almost February 2015, is it worth waiting for the next big thing?

Question 3: What is the next big thing, and how many weeks/months before we can buy it?

I use an iPhone5s, and wish to move up to a larger screen. To experience a different OS, I want to pick up an Android.

But, I recently tried Galaxy Note4 hands-on in more than 1 store, and found the responsiveness/smoothness inferior than my current iPhone5s (on which I find the interface very responsive & smooth... as in scrolling though long web pages).

So, question 1: Is responsiveness/smoothness inferior to iPhones (5s/6/6+), or is it any other factor that effected by Note4 experiences?

Or, question 2: Since, it's almost February 2015, is it worth waiting for the next big thing?

Question 3: What is the next big thing, and how many weeks/months before we can buy it?

Thanks in advance!

Kind Regards,
Tushar

I have both, so to answer your questions:
1. In my expierence, yes. My iPhone 6 plus is definitely smoother and more responsive, that being said if I use my Note 4 exclusively I get used to it and seems fine, until I pick up my iPhone again. Another factor though to consider is that I have an at&t Note 4, which in talking with other people is a bit jankier than the T-Mobile version, so depending on which one you get it may be better.

The lollipop update is also supposedly going to up the performance as Samsung is better optimizing its software and getting rid of the bloat, so maybe wait until that is out and try it again.

2. If you want a phablet, I say its good to get one now, as there won't be a new note, nexus or iPhone until the fall. Those three are the best phablets out right now. If you want a more normal sized phone, the next HTC One and Galaxy S are supposed to be announced next month so you might want to wait until then as both should be 64-bit and get performance and battery bumps.

3. See my answer to question 2.

A couple more things to add. While performance isn't on par with the iPhone, it does have the features you would expect on a phablet, such as true multi window multi tasking and using the spen as a mouse. The spen also has its own feature set that is really great if your someone that's likes writing or drawing.

The iPhone on the other hand, while less feature rich, does have the performance advantage and apps are better optimized for the screen size, you get more information on screen and some apps even give the dual pane menu from the iPad.

Like the OP, I have a iPhone 5S and now a T-Mobile version of the Note 4. To me, the speed on the Note 4 seems to be better than the 5S and I still use the 5S on a daily basis as I have both activated on T-Mobile.

There is a nice page that I found today that tells you how to improve the performance somewhat by going into the developer settings and turning off a few settings that Touch Wiz uses.

The Note 4 has its Jankie moments, but overall I find the experience to be very smooth and enjoyable. I also played with the N4 a lot at Best Buy and other outlets prior to purchase. I have to say, I am much more impressed with the device than I expected to be based on in store trials. There is so much crap on it in store, and the demo mode etc.

I cannot speak to the 6+, so I will leave that to others. At the end of the day, it is an OS preference.

#3 is an interesting question right now. The Galaxy S6 is going to be even larger than the S5. I have seen reports crushing Sammy for moving to a 5.5 inch screen. If that is large enough for you, it may be worth the wait. You likely won't get dual screen apps, and certainly won't get the S-pen.

If I were choosing, I'd get the Note 4 now. I think their Note functionality is enough to make it the best pick of phones that will be out for the next 6 months.

I think you should go with the Note 4. You said you wanted to try something new, and you really can't go wrong with this phone. I recently purchased one for myself, and I've never owned a better smartphone in my life. Samsung has really improved TouchWiz, performance is great, and I haven't experienced any lag or jank. Add to that the premium build, and the unique features of the Note, and there won't be a better phablet on the market until the Note 5 is released.

Anyway, as for getting stock, you won't be able to get one, but you will be able to get a ROM based on stock android. So you could go that route, and from what I have heard those Roms REALLY speed things up and smooth things out. You should check XDA first to make sure those ROMs are available to the Note your getting, I know currently neither the at&t and Verizon version cant be modified, so if your getting one of those your stuck with touchwiz.

Really though, if you want stock android get the Nexus, as much as I would like the performance boost I see no point in getting the Note only to remove its defining features (multi window and spen) by putting stock android on it.

As for your wish, you may get it as the rumors are the next version of touchwiz will be really scaled back, close to stock with the added features. I really hope that's true because this phone is a beast and we shouldn't be seeing those frame drops.

Oh, and enjoy your Note 4! One thing to remember, if you don't like the styling of Samsung's apps, you can always download alternatives and make them the default. Myself I'm using Nova launcher with a lollipop theme, nils floating lock screen widget, and google calander, messages, ect. as my defaults. Only time I see touchwiz is in the settings app, dialer app, and notification tray.

Play with it, change launchers (nova launcher is great), add widgets, use s pen..
S pen doesnt have to be used just for taking notes, I use it a lot for simply browsing and clicking on small links without the need to zoom in
Read about it as you can make it faster with changing some settings - demo note 4s shown at bestbuy or other stores are not that great. Once you start fresh and customize it the way you like, the phone becomes a monster!

I just got a 6+ to accompany my Note 4 and Note 3. It's a nice change and a good phone. I think I prefer the camera on the 6+ too, though my Note 4 does quite well.

How much do you like to tinker with your device? If you're more into apps than tinkering the iPhone is an easy choice. If you think you're the type to get bored and want to change things up the Note 4 is the better bet.

Do you see yourself using the S Pen? It's a great tool to me and I love being able to take notes and have them always handy. ...and you can do a lot more with the S Pen too.

They're both good phones but me... If I could only have one it'd be the Note 4.

I use the Note 4 and my partner the 6 Plus and here are my thoughts. If you're already used to IOS and you're accustomed to how it works, and you prefer simplicity over customizability then the 6 Plus would be a great purchase. It's build quality is excellent, noticeably slimmer than the Note 4 especially since the camera doesn't protrude as much, and standby battery life is much better (IOS is just much more efficient on standby, screen time is similar though) if you're a light / moderate user.

If you're a power user however and battery life is a non-issue for you, both devices will last you a full day and a bit, even with heavy use. If you like to personalize your phone and have things just the way you want them to be, Android is the way to go, it's not even close. In this regard, the Note 4 is miles ahead. It is a real phablet, it takes advantage of the screen size like no other phone does. Real multi-tasking, a crapton more RAM, higher resolution screen so running apps on smaller multi-windows still looks sharp, plus the S-pen features really make the device one of a kind, and offers a special kind of capability no other phablet can.

If however all you want is a smartphone with a bigger screen and a longer lasting battery and have no real need for all the extra features the Note 4 offers, then the 6 Plus is the better choice. Easier to learn, despite the fact that IOS is practically unchanged (even the menu elements are as tiny on a 5.5 inch screen as they were on the 3.5 inch iPhone 4). The 6 Plus is solid, user-friendly, more stable than Android (generally, not always) and the camera is more user-friendly too.

In the end it comes down to personal preference really as you can't go wrong with either device. I personally love my Note 4 and I've never enjoyed the user experience of IOS. Don't like the menus, the icon grid, the imposed limitations of proprietary software, and I also dislike Apple's corporate philosophy. However, I'm objective and give credit where it's due and the iPhone 6 Plus is a great device for people who's tastes it suits. It is a worthy rival to the Note 4, and they both deliver on their promises.

I use the Note 4 and my partner the 6 Plus and here are my thoughts. If you're already used to IOS and you're accustomed to how it works, and you prefer simplicity over customizability then the 6 Plus would be a great purchase. It's build quality is excellent, noticeably slimmer than the Note 4 especially since the camera doesn't protrude as much, and standby battery life is much better (IOS is just much more efficient on standby, screen time is similar though) if you're a light / moderate user.

If you're a power user however and battery life is a non-issue for you, both devices will last you a full day and a bit, even with heavy use. If you like to personalize your phone and have things just the way you want them to be, Android is the way to go, it's not even close. In this regard, the Note 4 is miles ahead. It is a real phablet, it takes advantage of the screen size like no other phone does. Real multi-tasking, a crapton more RAM, higher resolution screen so running apps on smaller multi-windows still looks sharp, plus the S-pen features really make the device one of a kind, and offers a special kind of capability no other phablet can.

If however all you want is a smartphone with a bigger screen and a longer lasting battery and have no real need for all the extra features the Note 4 offers, then the 6 Plus is the better choice. Easier to learn, despite the fact that IOS is practically unchanged (even the menu elements are as tiny on a 5.5 inch screen as they were on the 3.5 inch iPhone 4). The 6 Plus is solid, user-friendly, more stable than Android (generally, not always) and the camera is more user-friendly too.

In the end it comes down to personal preference really as you can't go wrong with either device. I personally love my Note 4 and I've never enjoyed the user experience of IOS. Don't like the menus, the icon grid, the imposed limitations of proprietary software, and I also dislike Apple's corporate philosophy. However, I'm objective and give credit where it's due and the iPhone 6 Plus is a great device for people who's tastes it suits. It is a worthy rival to the Note 4, and they both deliver on their promises.

After having both myself until recently (sold my 6 Plus), couldn't agree more. Well said.

I use the Note 4 and my partner the 6 Plus and here are my thoughts. If you're already used to IOS and you're accustomed to how it works, and you prefer simplicity over customizability then the 6 Plus would be a great purchase. It's build quality is excellent, noticeably slimmer than the Note 4 especially since the camera doesn't protrude as much, and standby battery life is much better (IOS is just much more efficient on standby, screen time is similar though) if you're a light / moderate user.

[snipped for your convenience]

In the end it comes down to personal preference really as you can't go wrong with either device. I personally love my Note 4 and I've never enjoyed the user experience of IOS. Don't like the menus, the icon grid, the imposed limitations of proprietary software, and I also dislike Apple's corporate philosophy. However, I'm objective and give credit where it's due and the iPhone 6 Plus is a great device for people who's tastes it suits. It is a worthy rival to the Note 4, and they both deliver on their promises.

Yeahps. I just got the iPhone 6+. Nice phone and when and it'll be a nice change for when I want something simpler than my Note 3 and 4. I noticed camera seems to be better on the 6+ than the Note 4, at least in low light. Colors seem more accurate and it focus faster. The 6+ camera is noticeably better than my Note 3. I just wonder how long before I feel the need to jailbreak it.

A couple more things which may or may not be of interest in making a selection:

The Note is more friendly to wearables (such as watches). If you're planning on getting a wearable, this might be something to consider. I have a Galaxy Gear 2 watch and it works well with my Note 4. I know that Apple will be introducing a watch in the near future, but it will be fairly pricy and you will be limited to that watch only. There are a host of Android watches on the market ( Pebble, Motorola, LG etc) in a variety of styles price ranges.

I have a current model Samsung smart TV. I can use the screen mirroring function to connect to the TV via WiFi without having to purchase an external HDMI plug-in dongle. The functionality is built right in to the TV. This lets me directly view movies and photos on the big screen that I've taken with my phone.

Also.. I can go the other way. There is an app called 'Smart TV 2.0" that transfers what's on my Smart TV screen to the screen on my Note 4 over WiFi. I this lets me do things like watch the news when I'm in my computer room where I currently don't have a TV.

(Note that, I'm not a complete Samsung junkie. I also have an iPad Air and prefer it over the Android tablets).

A couple more things which may or may not be of interest in making a selection:

The Note is more friendly to wearables (such as watches). If you're planning on getting a wearable, this might be something to consider. I have a Galaxy Gear 2 watch and it works well with my Note 4. I know that Apple will be introducing a watch in the near future, but it will be fairly pricy and you will be limited to that watch only. There are a host of Android watches on the market ( Pebble, Motorola, LG etc) in a variety of styles price ranges.

I have a current model Samsung smart TV. I can use the screen mirroring function to connect to the TV via WiFi without having to purchase an external HDMI plug-in dongle. The functionality is built right in to the TV. This lets me directly view movies and photos on the big screen that I've taken with my phone.

Also.. I can go the other way. There is an app called 'Smart TV 2.0" that transfers what's on my Smart TV screen to the screen on my Note 4 over WiFi. I this lets me do things like watch the news when I'm in my computer room where I currently don't have a TV.

(Note that, I'm not a complete Samsung junkie. I also have an iPad Air and prefer it over the Android tablets).

I believe you can also use the Pebble with the iPhone (and that is a very economical option if you don't want to spend $200 more for the least expensive Apple Watch) .

After using my Note 4 for one week now, I think Apple has a lot of catching up to do in the future. I will also likely NOT buy another iPhone again.

Even back when the iPhone 4/4S came out, I didn't think I would ever buy any other kind of phone. I skipped the iPhone 5 that year and bought the Nexus 4. That was a good first Android phone but the one I had, had nothing but problems. This Note 4 changes everything.

I'm on my 6+ today and it's a nice change. Everything is indeed nice and smooth and iOS8 has these neat little things that make it cool (like the word suggestion effect when you're typing). ...but it's so nice to be able to be able to pick your hardware and completely customize the UI through launchers, widgets, fonts, and iconpacks that it would be very very hard to use an iOS device exclusively.

After using my Note 4 for one week now, I think Apple has a lot of catching up to do in the future. I will also likely NOT buy another iPhone again.

Even back when the iPhone 4/4S came out, I didn't think I would ever buy any other kind of phone. I skipped the iPhone 5 that year and bought the Nexus 4. That was a good first Android phone but the one I had, had nothing but problems. This Note 4 changes everything.

Ya I agree. My first smartphone was an iPhone that I used for a couple of years. I never really liked any of the Android phones until the S4 came out so I tried it and was hooked. I have used several android phones since including the Note 3 which must have been a lemon because it was glitchy.

That is what made me try the iPhone 6 but now that I have the Note 4, I am back to android forever. Truly an amazing phone.